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tv   Politics Nation  MSNBC  February 26, 2013 3:00pm-4:00pm PST

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let me finish tonight with my growing concern that things are not working out here in washington. washington is as i've said many time has no factories or smokestac smokestacks. the only output of this city is the government. and there should be deals across the aisle. between the president and the congress. without deals there could be no action. because only if this democratic president and this republican house of representatives can reach the accommodation, we are stuck right where we are today. not passing budgets, not dealing with the debt, not ending these endless manufacturing crises now coming at us with disgusting regularity. where's the deal to save us from
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this? the president said no deal until the republicans pony up enhancing tax reform. speaker boehner says no tax reform until there's entitlement reform. both sides know their bases. they know they can go on with the decisions as long as their political bases support them. this could be a long time. boehner's biggest worry isn't the president. it's the tea party members of his own caucus that might bring him down. the president's biggest worry is that boehner alone it's the democrats who will resolve him. the only question to which i do not know the answer is how in the world can boehner and the president cut a deal when they're so restricted as to what they can accept? and that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. thanks, chris. and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, the gop losing it. we're just three days away from
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massive budget cuts designed to be so brutal that even far-right republicans would see the light in compromise. instead, it looks like the pressure is getting to speaker boehner. >> we have moved a bill in the house twice. we should not have to move a third bill before the senate gets off their ass and begins to do something. >> wow. talk about leading from behind. but boehner's potty mouth can't hide the incoherence of the gop position when it comes to these budget cuts. boehner himself says the cuts will hurt the economy and threaten thousands of jobs. but tom price says the cuts are needed to get this economy rolling again. on defense eric cantor warns these cuts will harm national security. but wait. tom cole says fiscal questions trump defense. and when it comes to compromise, lindsey graham says he's willing
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to raise revenue. but boehner already slammed that door shut. the revenue debate is now closed, he says. republicans can't get their stories straight. they're a joke. it would be laughable if it weren't hundreds of thousands of jobs on the line. today president obama went to a shipyard in virginia, the state's largest industrial employer, to point out how crippling these budget cuts would be to our military, our safety net, and our economy. >> all told, the sequester could cost tens of thousands of jobs right here in virginia. but it doesn't just stop there. if the sequester goes into effect, more than 2,000 college students would lose their financial aid. early education like head start and early start would be eliminated for nearly a thousand children and around 18,000 fewer virginians will get the skills
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and training they need to find a job. >> these cuts are a disaster for virginia and they're a disaster for every state in the country. the president is trying to pull america together. but republicans are falling apart. joining me now is congressman bobby scott, democrat from virginia who traveled with the president today. and richard wolffe. congressman, help me out. does the republican position on these cuts make any sense at all to people in their district? >> well, first of all, it depends on which decision -- which position you're talking about. but the fact is the idea the sequester should go into effect is absurd. you have $1.2 trillion worth of cuts over ten years that would be inflicted on the budget. in our area of virginia, the impact of job loss would be about the same impact as the 2008 recession. devastating impact on jobs.
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the idea that we need this to grow the economy is ridiculous. this will destroy the economy of hampton rhodes. but the fact is that the across-the-board mindless cuts of $1.2 trillion will have to inflict pain. and there really is no alternative. you cannot have -- well, let's have some surgical deliberate cuts. that doesn't help. the number $1.2 trillion is so huge that you'll have nationwide between 700,000 and 2 million jobs lost. if you did this strategically, you may save those jobs, but the problem is 700,000 and 2 million other people would lose their jobs. the fact is you can't cut the budget $1.2 trillion and not inflict damage and havoc on the economy and with government services. that's why -- >> you know, congressman, what i keep trying to get people to understand and said in the introduction is it was designed to be so damaging and painful that we'd never get here.
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i mean, i don't understand how people would not understand that it's painful. it was designed to be so painful that we'd never do it. no one imagined they would actually do it. >> well, it was designed to be painful, designed to have us come up with $1.2 trillion in alternative cuts. the problem is you can't do $1.2 trillion in alternative cuts. you haven't seen a list of cuts that amounts to $1.2 trillion that anyone wants to be associated with. you can't do a list. so the idea if you want $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction, you have to have revenues. you cannot do $1.2 trillion. and that's why no one has come up with a list. >> that's exactly right. >> every -- the only thing you've seen when they talk about they passed a bill, all they did was come up with a little funding to try to delay it for a little while. come up with $100 billion, but not $1.2 trillion.
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let's put this in perspective -- >> let me get richard in this a minute, congressman. they keep saying that the president doesn't have a plan. he has outlined a plan. they may not like the plan, but let me show you the president's plan and let me get you to respond. >> all we're asking is that they close loopholes for the well-off and the well-connected. for hedge fund managers or corporate jet owners who are all doing very well and don't need these tax loopholes so we can avoid laying off workers or reducing financial aid for college students. i don't think that's too much to ask. i do not think that is partisan. the majority of the american people agree with me. >> i don't think it's too much to ask either. and i don't see what's complicated about it, richard. >> and remember that the president just won this debate both in an election and in the debate about the bush tax cuts. so republicans are on very weak ground here.
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they also know it. that's why their messaging is all over the place. is this good for the economy? is it bad for national security? that's a party that is struggling. they're out there doing polling and focus grouping right now. they need to throw up a website that you saw on the podium. because no one is buying the message. there's no consistency because they cannot agree as a party. these defense cuts were supposed to be so bad, republicans would stop them from letting them happen. and they have now shifted from even where they were a year ago. they are all over the map. their messaging is wrong and the president's message just on this piece of it had just worked. >> now, congressman, while the president explains what's at stake to americans, cantor is out saying the republicans not only can the republicans have come up with a new complaint. i want you to listen to this and respond.
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>> the president ought to really stop campaigning and work with us. >> he's focused on campaign rallies. >> the president seems more interested in doing his campaign-style rallies. now we need the president to stop campaigning. >> so you were traveling with him today. let me get this right. to bring the case to the american people on how it will affect their lives and how they will have the brunt of the pain if this, in fact, goes into effect is wrong -- there's something wrong with that, congressman? >> no. it just averts attention from the reality where we are. we can afford to get out of this mess. we've had january 1st we passed almost $4 trillion in tax cuts. we're looking for just over $1 trillion in deficit reduction. obviously my position was we should have passed maybe about 2 -- don't pass any of the tax cuts, take care of the sequester and other problems, have a jobs
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bill. you'd be much better off. but having passed $4 trillion, now we have to find a trillion dollars worth of deficit reduction. the president's plan is very -- it's on his website, on the white house website. it includes significant revenues. unfortunately it also includes cuts in social security and medicare. now, remember, all of these cuts we're talking about now are there only because we passed the tax cut in january. >> that's exactly right. >> and we're trying to pay off -- we're trying to pay off the tax cuts. now, so the money's there. this isn't a situation like greece that just doesn't have the money to fix the problem. >> no, the money's there. richard, let me say this as we have to go. what bothers me is how it affects working class people and poor people. 600,000 women and children lose nutrition aid. 125,000 families lose housing aid. 70,000 kids lose head start. 25,000 fewer cancer screenings. on and on. i mean, these are real live
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people who can't afford to take the brunt to protect loopholes for yachts and private planes. >> my criticism is honestly if there's a criticism of the white house, the ships are not nearly as important as the kids. they're at a naval shipyard. i understand it's a big thing in virginia and politics. the items you just mentioned, that's what the president needs to be talking about. he needs to be with families who are going to suffer because of this. >> and really going to suffer. congressman bobby scott, richard wolffe, thank you both for your time tonight. last night we reported these budget cuts would also shut down the airport in paul ryan's hometown in wisconsin. well, it turns out the cuts would just shut down the tower. not the airport itself. although the airport director says it would still make an impact and create a slowdown in traffic. so it turns out mr. ryan may be
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able to fly home after all. and hey, that's a good thing. he can explain to voters why he's refusing to stop cuts in his home state that could cost 120 teachers and aides to lose their jobs. kick 900 kids off head start programs. and cut $653,000 for meals to seniors. one more thing. while mr. ryan may consider an airport without a working tower to be officially open, it would definitely be closed for me. ahead, the right wing is at war with chris christie and he just put fuel on that fire. big news today. and the banks' worst nightmare is getting worse. elizabeth warren took on the banks in a big way today. and bill o'reilly's in denial, so he's going back to the makers and takers line. big show coming up tonight. stay with us. ♪
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have you joined the "politicsnation" conversation on facebook yet? we hope you will. today everyone was remembering trayvon martin who was killed one year ago today. april says we love and miss you, trayvon. you will never be forgotten. felicia says i am wearing my hoodie today. and ebony says i've lost a son myself to violence, so i can empathize with how horrible his parents are feeling today.
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coming up later in the show, we'll talk to trayvon's parents about how they're coping one year later. we want to hear your thoughts too. please head over to facebook and search "politicsnation" and like us to join the conversation that keeps going long after the show ends. with america's favorite so. bring out chicken broccoli alfredo. or best-ever meatloaf. go to campbellskitchen.com for recipes, plus a valuable coupon. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.
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did you know not all fiber is the same? citrucel is different- it's the only fiber for regularity that won't cause excess gas. it's gentle and clinically proven to help restore and maintain regularity. look for citrucel today. these cuts are wrong. they're not smart. they're not fair. they're a self-inflicted wound that doesn't have to happen. >> president obama today making a key point. these automatic budget cuts don't have to be automatic.
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republicans have manufactured this crisis by not making a deal when they had a chance. in the summer of 2011, president obama and speaker boehner were this close to a grand bargain that included both cuts and revenues. but then boehner walked away. now we know why. in an explosive new article by new yorkers ryan lizza, eric cantor told me that it was a fair assessment that he talked boehner out of accepting the obama deal. cantor said he told boehner that it would be better instead to take the issues of taxes and spending to the voters and have it out with democrats in the election. okay. i get it. so republicans wanted the 2012 election to decide the debate over cuts and revenue. well, guess what, it did. president obama won. they lost. americans want fairness. but republicans like eric cantor are now ignoring the lessons of the election. they're talking like it never
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happened. just check out what bill o'reilly said on his show last night. >> the country's changing quickly into an entitlement society. it's not so much that apathetic americans are embracing the the tenats of themselves. americans are selfish. they want money for nothing. >> this is straight out of mitt romney's 47% tape. republicans haven't learned a thing. joining me now is journalist who won an award of breaking the story of the 47% tape. david corn for mother jones. david, whether it's bill o'reilly on 47% or eric cantor on taxes and spending, why can't republicans accept they've lost the election? >> i think they accept they've lost the election. and i think they want to blame everybody except themselves. you know, mitt romney after the
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campaign was over said the problem was that obama just gave too many gifts to the you know who. it was basically another version of the 47%. and paul ryan talked about the urban voting areas. they were just too difficult for them. they are sort of stuck in amber like fossils. they have these ideas about the rove government and taxation and everything else. sometimes they're conflicting such as our ideas about deficit reduction but also doing nothing about tax loopholes. and they just can't get out of this hole that they're in. i think part of that is just intellectual rigidity. the other is a base that's gone so far to the right. whether on notions or social issues like immigration, gay rights, and guns. so they're just totally pinned down and they just can't find a way forward yet.
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>> but we know what's so appalling and confusing at the same time. take for example, bill o'reilly last night. he claimed that president obama encourages victims who want to be paid. listen to him say what he said. >> there've always been people who see themselves as victims and want to be paid for their perceived suffering. we've always had that. now those people are in a comfort zone. because their victimization isn't being challenged. it's being encouraged by the obama administration. >> i mean, why can't they get out of this takers and makers and 47% thing? i mean, what is that all about? >> i have to say, i don't even know what he's talking about. they used to talk about welfare queens. we know what that was code for. when he talks about these folks
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is he talking about people on medicaid or medicare or social security? i just don't know what he's talking about. that's what's kind of bizarre here. these high flying abstract concepts that struck a cord with what's left of their base. but it's not really ever explained. and i think it's very isolating for them. >> very. and when you look at the effect of the republican party, 62% say the gop is out of touch with the american people and they wonder why. i mean, it's appalling. and as you say, it is so sweepingly unspecific that everybody's got to say what are you talking about me? but let me tell you how much of a joke they're becoming. and i mean literally a national joke. just check out one of the categories on last night's episode of jeopardy. last night. >> okay. >> here are the categories for you. funny things people say. a bunch of stuff.
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and a binder full of women. >> a binder full of women for 400. >> she's the 111th justice of the supreme court. keith? >> who is sonia sotomayor? >> yes. >> i mean, when you have jeopardy mocking mitt romney about the binder full of women from a presidential debate, once you've lost alex, you've lost america, david. >> of course let's look at the president's state of the union speech. one of the key things he talked about was universal preschool for kids. you and i know how essential it is to get kids on the right path to education from an early age on. this is so that they won't grow up and have to rely on entitlements. >> those are the kinds of things at jeopardy. i'll have to leave it there. >> those are the things republicans don't support and that's what i don't get. >> david corn, thanks for joining me tonight. >> sure thing.
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ahead, what a difference 12 days make. i'm introducing john mccain to john mccain. and elizabeth warren does it again. who is she grilling on fairness today? and the gop war against chris christie just got worse. oh, i'm sure this will end well. stay with us. ♪ i've been coloring liz's hair for years.
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today we saw an end to one of the most embarrassing, shameful examples of republican misbehavior in recent political history. late this afternoon the senate finally voted to confirm president obama's nominee for defense secretary chuck hagel. it was a vote long overdue. for weeks republicans had attacked hagel's policies, his competence, and even his patriotism. >> our concerns pertain to the quality of your professional judgment. >> isn't it interesting that iran supports chuck hagel's nomination to be secretary of defense. >> it may be that he spoke at radical or extreme groups or anti-israel groups and accepted compensation. we don't know. >> that's right. they didn't know if he accepted
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money from extreme groups. because he didn't. the attacks from the right were especially poisonous because they were so personal. >> there's a lot of ill will towards senator hagel because when he was a republican he attacked president bush mercilessly. >> it was all about a grudge. john mccain and other republicans didn't like hagel because he opposed the iraq war and made president bush look bad. they even took the unprecedented step of filibustering hagel nearly two weeks ago. something that had never happened to a defense nominee before. but today 18 republicans voted to end the filibuster. 14 of them changed their votes from earlier this month including senator john mccain. so what changed in two weeks? nothing. what did republicans accomplish? nothing. and what did republicans like
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john mccain reveal about themselves? everything. did mccain and his pals think we'd forget their childish, venomous attack on the president's team? nice try. but we got you. [ fishing rod casting line, marching band playing ] [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it... in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. great taste. mmm... [ male announcer ] sounds good. it's amazing what soup can do. [ male announcer ] were you more interesting in your twenties, or now? when you were starting out?
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the gop war against chris christie just got worse. in a major budget address before a joint session of the new jersey legislature today, christie announced that he's supporting the president's medicaid expansion. he's now the eighth republican governor to do so. given christie's 74% approval rating, you'd think the gop would be taking notes from this guy. praising him, right? wrong. conservatives have decided not to invite the most popular republican in the country to their big annual conference. his invitation seems to be lost in the mail. gee, i wonder why?
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>> the president is great. i spoke to him three times yesterday. he deserves great credit. the president has been outstanding in this. and so have the folks at fema. i cannot thank the president enough for his personal concern and compassion for our state and for the people of our state. >> and if that didn't do it, then this one probably did. >> there's only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims. the house majority and their speaker john boehner. they did so with callous indifference to the suffering of the people of my state. shame on you. shame on congress. >> shame on you. but surely republicans aren't that petty. they'd never start a war with christie just because he worked with the president to rebuild his state from the destruction of a hurricane, hurricane sandy, right? >> that wasn't just sort of an accident, i don't think. >> no. when you look at all the people that were there and you say
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where a chris christie, it's probably not an accident. the anger of the former presidential candidate and the certain amount of the house leadership. >> maybe that explains why the gop just can't seem to turn their brand around. a brand new nbc poll shows 46% of the country still views the gop negatively. and just 29% think of the republican party positively. so the latest rebranding move is to start a war with chris christie? what could possibly go wrong? joining me now is abi huntsman and victoria defrancesco soto. thank you both for coming on. >> thanks for having us. >> abi, let me start with you. the party is at war with chris christie. does that make any sense to you at all? >> this is a perfect example of why republicans lost this time around. i mean, they're too insulate.
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if you don't fit in this box, they want nothing to do with you. the exact reason is that he befriended the president two weeks before the election. that just shows how small minded this group is. in fact, i would take it as a compliment if i was christie. >> they actually said this while you were in the room? >> no, i talked to people in the room. the reason they made this decision was because of the fact that you stated before. simply because he befriended the president. he snubbed romney during hurricane sandy. two weeks before the election. that's the main reason they said don't come speak. that's how small minded this group is. but you have to remember the c-pac is different than the republican party. when you look at the folks speaking this time, there are a lot of personalities from yesterday. they are the agenda from yesterday. >> you have a whole list of people that are speaking and
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clearly when you look at the speakers list, you see rick perry, mitt romney, sarah palin, ron paul, allen west with, wayne lapierre. i don't see chris christie and i don't see your dad. >> certainly no forward thinkers in that group you showed. that's unnerving to see people like this. that's not the future of the gop. >> when you look at the fact, victor victoria, joe scarborough who hosts "morning joe" here, he and i don't agree on much. but he even talked about it. take a listen to this. >> underlines how out of touch the movements are. it underlines just how little they care about actual electoral victorie victories. they have a coalition that cares about talk radio ratings. they understand you have to say extreme things to get those ratings. it's about resentment and hating
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democrats and hating -- of course that's not how you win. apparently these days being a republican is not about winning. >> so, i mean, what is happening to this party? how can they survive when you even have people to the right like joe scarborough saying it's not about winning. tell me how we can deal with this party? i'm looking at the bigger picture of what is going on with this party that it seems that it can't get back on track. >> in nature we noel fants are mostly blind. so it's interesting to see the same with c-pac elephants. that they are blind to the issue. and chris christie speaks to the blindness not just of alienating modern republicans, but really of alienating republicans. because chris christie is emblematic of the voter. a poll came out last week that
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shows 40% of americans identify as independents. so for most folks it's not about being republican or democrat, it's about being a middle of the road independent. in 2009 for his gubernatorial race, 60% of independents in new jersey voted for chris christie. this is the guy that can get independents vote for him. just as barack obama had independents vote for him in 2008. that the republican party wants to remain competitive and quite frankly survive at the national level, they need to bring in independents. we're never going to get democrats to vote for republicans, but we need those middle of the road folks is the strategy they should be thinking about. >> now, and i think that's a very important point. because when you see how extreme they are and how they're really chasing independents away, i mean, let's face it, abby. chris christie is still a very conservative person. when you look at his record,
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he's anti-choice, vetoed equal pay legislation, vetoed minimum wage increase. yet approved a record $1.6 billion in corporate tax breaks. also vetoed same-sex marriage and praised the ryan budget. this is not a progressive at all. and they shun him. how do they ever expect to appeal to independents? >> i would argue my dad was the same sort of situation. he was actually very conservative on a lot of issues. but they tend to ignore that. if you step out of this box they want you to fit in, then they just want to shoe you away. i think some great points have been made. republican parties not going to win unless you a i peel to independents. christie can bring a lot of people into the tent. he's exactly what the republican party needs right now, so to shoe someone like that away, republicans are not going -- >> who is still basically conservative. and your dad -- i was reading the front page of something. >> "new york times."
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>> i thought it was the national review. and your dad came out on a very strong stand in terms of same-sex marriage. >> but he made a conservative argument for gay marriage. not only the fact we have to evolve but saying look, as republicans we have long talked about long-term relationships. about a strong family unit. we should be leading the charge on gay marriage. we're not doing that today. i'm proud of my dad for doing that. >> you don't want big government other than on what you want big government for. and a new nbc poll out, i want to rush this in before i run out of time. it says that americans are backing democrats on the issues on who they trust to look out for middle class. democrats hold a 22% advantage. they lead by 18 points on medicare, 16 points on health care, 15 points on gun violence, 14 on social security. brand new poll is not good for the republicans in terms of the issues they stand for. >> because what we see is the
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democratic party is talking about the more tangible issues. the day-to-day issues. yes, for example, gay marriage is a big ideological issue that we see the party dividing itself upon. you care about the medical coverage you're going to get and whether or not your state is going to be covered by medicaid. for example, with new jersey, chris christie making that decision for coverage is going to effect people day-to-day. that's why people support him and why people support the democratic party. >> abby huntsman and victoria defrancesco soto, thanks for your time this evening. >> thank you. coming up, one year ago tonight a young man by the name of trayvon martin was shot and killed. trayvon's parents join me ahead on their struggle and fighting for change. investors just like you could lose tens of thousands of dollars on their 401(k) to hidden fees. thankfully e-trade has low cost investments and no hidden fees. but, you know,
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and taking inspiration from our wildest dreams. because bold doesn't see the world in fixtures and faucets, it re-imagines. coloring our lives in ways only bold can do. it's no wonder the world can't wait to see what bold does next. why is it great to have elizabeth warren in the senate? when she ran for the senate, she said she'd be a fighter for main street. she vowed to level the playing field. now that she's a senator, she wasted no time going right after the banks at her first banking committee hearing. >> so the question i'm really asking is can you identify when you last took the wall street banks to trial? anyone else want to tell me about the last time you took a wall street bank to trial? i'm really concerned that too
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big too fail has become too big for trial. that just seems wrong to me. >> and today she continued her fight against too big to fail. banks grilling federal reserve chairman ben bernanke on fairness. it was classic warren. >> when are we going to get rid of too big to fail? these big financial institutions are getting cheaper borrowing to the tune of $83 billion in a single year. $83 billion. that $83 billion subsidy, does it worry you? >> of course. i think this is very important. i would very much like to have the confidence that we could close down a large institution without causing damage to the rest of the economy. >> this is big. those banks may be thinking twice about taking those risks. another reason it's great to have senator warren's voice there in the senate. still look. but with kids growing up fast, fighting seven signs of aging gets harder. introducing total effects
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a year ago tonight a light rain fell in the central florida town of sanford. as a young man walked back home from a 7-eleven store. his name was trayvon martin. he was headed home to watch the nba all star game on tv. in his hands he carried an iced tea and a package of skittles. the rest, of course, is tragedy. trayvon martin was shot and killed steps from his destination and what happened that night soon became national news. and it sparked a massive debate over florida's controversial stand your ground law. but for trayvon's parents, it's been a year of grieving and of searching for answers. and it's also been a year of action. they've become advocates for change and not just against the stand your ground law. they started the justice for
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trayvon foundation calling for peaceful conflict resolution. and in a time of mourning, they've reached out to other parents who's lost a child to gun violence. joining me now are trayvon martin's parents sybrina fulton and their attorney. thank you all for being here tonight. >> each of you tell us what it's been like for you this year. i know this is a difficult night, but how has this year been for you? >> this year has been very difficult. we've met a lot of nice people, but i don't think it measures up to the loss that we have endured. like i said before, we've lost loved ones in our family, but it's just a certain level of pain when you lose a child. and when you lose a child to sudden death because of senseless gun violence.
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>> yeah, it's definitely been a somber year. it's been a sad year. it's been a year that i won't soon forget. and in the wake of the tragic loss of our son, we're just trying to stay -- we're just trying to uphold our son's legacy by turning a negative into a positive. and i think that's what keeps us going. the more we keep his name going, the more we keep his legacy going, the stronger we become as parents of a lost child. >> now, tell us about the foundation. because one of the things that has most impressed me, i've worked with a lot of civil rights cases and violence cases. you've been determined to make this a positive. tell us about the foundation. >> some of the things we do is mentor youth. we want to teach youth about their rights as teenagers, about their rights regarding profiling. so that's one of the things we do. we also created a scholarship
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program to help them further their education once they pass high school. and they would like to pursue a higher education. also we are trying to revise and, you know, make revisions to the stand your ground law. and also -- we're also working on a trayvon martin amendment. and what that amendment says is that you cannot be the aggressor. you cannot chase somebody, follow them, pursue them, shoot and kill them and say you were standing your ground. >> why is it important to you, tracy, the foundation? >> well, the foundation has a variation of important aspects. we've adopted a slogan. s.a.m.e. same. which is scholarship, advocacy, mentor, and education. and it's very important that people know that is not just for our community. it's for people in general. >> everybody. >> everybody. and that's why it's so important
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that people understand that we're not here just for the african-american community. we're here for all communities. >> and all communities have rallied with you. i'm going to you attorney crump. i want to ask one thing of both of you as parents. a year later, what do you want people to remember about trayvon? >> i want people to remember that he was an average teenager, that he had a family that loved him. he had friends that loved him. he had school mates that loved him. and that he was a loving kid. he was really a loving kid. >> and as far as what i want people to remember him, i just want people to remember the genuineness of him. the good that he had in him. the things he did to touch other people's lives. the smiles that he put on people's faces. a lot of people ask me how have i learned -- how have i dealt with the grieving process, and my response is, you know, knowing trayvon, trayvon wouldn't want me to grieve. so i just want, you know, i want
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everybody to remember him for the goodness that he had in him. >> attorney crump, when we first got involved, it was about making the judicial system work. starting the process. we're in the process now. as the attorney for the family, is the process working? >> yes. reverend sharpton, i am happy to say tonight because of the advocacy of tracy and sybrina, there were no new stand your ground laws enacted in any state in america this year. and remember, last year this time nobody knew about stand your ground. and because they refused to remain silent because of shows like "politicsnation," everybody knows stand your ground is a bad law that says you can pursue, shoot a kid in the heart, and not get arrested. you can go home and sleep in your bed at night. and that's not allowed. >> let me ask you this, and i'll
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let you go. and i appreciate you doing this on a night that's so heavy for you. what can you say? you've had support from all over the country and even internationally. what would you say to other parents who've lost their children to violence? >> i would just tell them that we need to stand together. because the numbers is what really counts. there are people that have lost kids in newtown and jacksonville and chicago and even miami. people are hurting. so it really -- something really needs to be done. but i would tell them to remain prayed up, to think about the good times they had with their children. just remember the good times. and that right there will take them to the next day. >> tracy? >> i would recommend that they hold on to god first and foremost. keep god close and near to your heart. and just think about the positive things that you and your child shared together.
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the incident in newtown, the incident in jacksonville. those are very tragic incidents. and i've spoken with ron davis, jordan davis' father. and me and him, we have a bond together. and just talking to another father coming from a father to father aspect on a lost loved one, we share a lot of things. and it's just to be in that situation, to be able to give a little guidance just to let them know at the end of the day it's going to be all right, it makes you feel good. >> sybrina fulton, tracy martin, attorney ben crump. thank you all for being here. lawyer crump, we thank you for your commitment. and let me say this. i remember when i first got the call about this case and didn't know about it. and we went to florida. i went on the day my mother died. because i felt that we should
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make sure that this kind of situation should not be handled in the back room of a police station. it should be in a court of law. and this family and every family deserves that day in court. so does mr. zimmerman. justice must not be in any way averted. i'm very glad a year later with all the rallies and all of the gatherings, not one brick has been thrown. no damage has been done. tracy and sybrina have set an example that in order to fight for what you feel is right, you mustn't internalize. and that's why trayvon's name means so much to so many. we'll be right back. ♪
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